Stalk-cutter.



W. A. MARTIN. (ha

STALK GUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEs, 1913.

Patented N OV. 25, 19'1'3.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

' [NVE/W03 WILLIAM A. MARTAN W. A. MARTIN.

STALK GUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNI: a, 1913.

1,079,505. Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES: INVENTUH- W .Wl-UAM MAR-IIN M M y OOLUMBM PLANoanAPl-Ico.,wAsH|Na1-o.1. D. c,

ITED STATES PATENT OFFCE.

PHILLIPS, ONE-THIRD TO GEORGE L. GRIFFIN, AND ONE-SIXTH TO THOMAS B.CRIDDLE, ALL OF WAXAHACI-IIE, TEXAS.

STALK-CUTTER.

T0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, 1WILLIAM A. MARTIN,citizen of the United States, residing at Vaxahachie, in the county ofEllis and State of Texas, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Stalk-Cutters, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in stalk cutters.Its object is to provide a wheeled farm implement that will travel alonea row of stalks, cutting them into small fragments, such as will rapidlydisintegrate and enrich the soil.

The object is more specically to provide a stalk cutter in which areembodied a pair of parallel shafts, mounted transversely of the axle,and inclined downwardly from the front to the rear of the machine, saidshafts carrying a plurality of disk knives mounted in adjacent pairswhich, through their reversed rotation, form shears, adapted to cut anystalks which are drawn between them by their rotation.

A further object is to provide toothed disks, one of which acts inconjunction with each disk knife to guide the stalks of a row betweenthe pair of disk knives correlated with said guiding member.

Finally the object of the invention is to provide a device of thecharacter described that will be strong, durable, simple and etlicientand comparatively easy to construct, and also one, the various parts ofwhich will not be likely to get out of working order.

lV ith these and various other objects in view, my invention hasrelation to certain novel features of the construction and operation, anexample of which is described in the following specification, andillust-rated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan View of a stalk cutter embodying the novel featuresof the present invention, the portion of the arch supporting the wheelsbeing broken away to reveal a transmission mechanism beneath the same.Fig. 2 is a view .of the stalk cutter in side elevation, a portion ofits framework being again broken away for the sake of clearness, thestalks of a row, which are being cut by the machine, being also shown.Fig. 3 is a rear vi-ew of the machine. Fig. 4 is a sectional, detailview, showing one of the stalk-cutting Specification of Letters Patent.

Application :tiled June 3, 1913.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

serial No. 771,550.

devices the section being taken upon the line mof Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, wherein like referencecharacters designate similar parts in all the figures, the numeral ldenotes a pair of transporting wheels, each of which is fast upon theouter end of a short axle member 2. The axle members 2 are held inproper alinement by means of an arched bar, comprising a pair ofvertical members 3, connected at their upper extremities by an integral,horizontal member 4, and carrying at their lower extremities a pair ofbearings 5 in which the short axles 2 are respectively mounted. A shortdistance below the horizontal, arch member, a horizontal shaft 6 isrotatably mounted, its extremities being journaled in the upper portionsof the vertical arch members 3. Upon the end portions of the shaft 6 apair 0f sprocket wheels 7 are rigidly mounted, and two sprocket chains8, having their upper portions carried by the sprocket wheels, havetheir lower portions mounted upon a pair of sprocket wheels 9, one ofwhich is fast upon the inner extremity of each axle member 2. From themiddle portion of the shaft 6, there is swung an elongated, U-shapedframe 10, such frame being extended rearwardly at a downwardinclination, and having its rear or closed extremity adapted to dragupon the ground,

as will presently be explained, and more fully. The shaft 6 is passedthrough the upper extremity of the spaced parallel members of the framel0, said extremities being restricted from any displacement longitudinalwith said shaft by a pair of setcollars 10a, one of which is fast uponthe shaft 6 at each side of said frame. A pair of spaced runners l1 arecarried fast upon the closed lower end of the frame 10, serving toslightly elevate said frame extremity above the surface of the ground,and thereby preventing said extremity from being subjected to heavywear, and decreasing the friction or draft, which would result if thelower end of the frame 10 were permitted to lie freely upon the surfaceof the ground. A pair of spaced, parallel shafts l2 are longitudinallymounted in the frame 10, their lower extremities being received bythrust bearings 13, carried fast upon the transverse, lower portion oftheframe 10, and their upper extremities being held in a cross bar 14,extending between the upper portions of the parallel members of theframe 10. The end portions of the transverse bar 14 are bent at rightangles, and extended parallel and contiguous with the parallel membersof the frame, a suticient distance to permit the shaft 6 to passthroughtheir extremities. The contiguous portions of the bar 14 and theframe 10 are riveted together, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of thedrawings. The upper extremities of the two parallel shafts 12 terminateclosely adjacent to the horizontal shaft 6,

and a bevel gear 15 is mountedA fast upon each of said extremities. Thetwo gears 15 are respectively adapted to mesh with two bevel gears 16mounted fast upon the middle portion of the shaft G. It is thus apparentthat during the travel of the machine, the two shafts 12 will eachreceive a consta-ntrotation from one of the short axle members, the tworotations thus communicated, being equal in velocity, but opposite indirection. The shafts 12 together support a plurality of stalk-cuttingdevices, each device comprising two members, which are adjacentlymounted upon the two shafts. These cutting devices are formed bydisk-shaped knives 17, one of which is fast upon each shaft 12, theiradjacent peripheral portions being made to slightly overlap each other.A short distance in front of one knife 17 of each pair is mounted atoothed feeding disk 18 having a slightly greater diameter than that ofthe adjacent knife. A slight distance behind the other knife 17 of thesame pair is mounted `a similar toothed feeding disk 18. Since the lowerportions of the disks 18 are constantly toward each other, in theirrotation, the teeth carried by these disks, have a tendency to feed thestalks,

which contact with them, in between the pair of rotating shears formedby the rotary knives 17.

It is apparent from the above description that the stalks of the row,over which the abovedescribed machine passes, will be cut into as manypieces as there are pairs of disk knives 17 mounted upon the two shafts12. lVhile there are only two of such cutting devices or units shown inthe drawings, it is to be understood that the number of these devicesemployed or embodied in the machine may be varied at the option of theinventor.

The invention is presented as including all such modifications andchanges as come within the scope of the following` claims:

IV hat I claim is:

1. A cutting unit for a. stalk cutter comprising a pair of disk shapedknives adapted to rotate oppositely about parallel axes, their adjacentperipheral portions being overlapped, and a toothed disk mountedadjacent to each of said knives adapted to rotate about the same axis.

2. In a stalk cutter, the combination with a pair of parallel shafts, ofa frame in which said shafts are mounted, means furnishing a pivotalsupport for one extremity of said frame, means adapted to communicate anopposite rotation to said shafts, a pair of disk shaped knivesadjacently mounted upon said shafts, their adjacent peripheral portionsbeing overlapped, and a pair of toothed disks mounted upon said shaftsone adjacent to each of said knives.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

IVILLIAM A. MARTIN.

lVitnesses z J. S. MURRAY, EARLE C. IVIGHT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, '.D. C.

